Collapsible multicompartment carton



Oct. 6, 1942. R. c. POTTS COLLAPSIBLE, MULTICOMPARTMEN'I CARTON Fi ledDec. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 6, 1942. R. c. POTTS 7, COLLAPSIBLE,MULTIGOMPARTMENT CARTON Filed Dec. 26, 1940 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patentedon. e, 1942 UNIT- ED I STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE MULTICOMPABTMENTCARTON (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30,1928; 370 0. G. 757) This application is made under the act of March 3,1883, as amended by act of April 30,

- 1928, and the invention herein described and claimed, it patented, maybe manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United Statesof America for governmental, purposes without the payment to me of anyroyalty thereon.

This invention is a collapsible carton of the multiple compartment type,and particularly is designed for packaging and shipment purposes.

One of the Objects of the invention is to provide a carton of the abovementioned type for the packaging and shipment of products, such as eggs.fruits, vegetables, etc. which may be packed in any desired manner nowcommon in any particular industry.

A further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible carton 'ofthe multiple compartment type, and more particularly embodying twocompartments, possessing the characteristics of sturdiness and maximumcapacity while in use, but which may be compactly folded, when empty soas to occupy minimum space during return shipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide amultiple-compartment-collapsible carton of such construction that ifoccasion makes it desirable, may be divided into independent sections,each section constituting a separate container, by employing a, suitablecutting tool to cut the sides of the case at a position between twoadjacent members which constitute a cross partition of the carton.

A further object is to provide a convenient and satisfactory collapsiblecarton that may become the permanent property of a person or firm thatis engaged in the production and marketing, or either of them, ofproducts delivered by shipment from one location to another, and whichwill remain the property of such producer or firm so as to be returnedto him in a collapsed form for reuse.

A further object is to provide a collapsible carton of the type abovedescribed in which the top and bottom flaps may be readily replaced inthe case of damage or detachment thereof from the-body of the box whilethe carton is in use.

A further object is to provide a carton of the type mentioned providedwith means for ventilation between superposed cartons, or beneath car-The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cartonconstructed in accordance with the invention, illustrating the parts inopen position. Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of thecompletely assembled'box. Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view on thelines 3-3, Figure 2. Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line44, Figure 2. Figure 5 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view ofthe carton in collapsed condition. Figure 6 is a sectional view on theline 6-6, Figure 5. Figure 7 is a fractional perspec tive viewillustrating a slight modification. Figure 8 is a detail viewillustrating one of the fastening bolts.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure l, Adesignates a carton having a body consisting of two side walls I0 andIOa respectively, connected by end walls II and IIu. respectively. Saidbody portion is preferably formed of a single strip of material, withoverlapping ends as indicated at X, secured together in suitable manner.It is preferred to construct this body of pasteboard, fiber or othermaterial, which is capable of being shaped into the desired form, andcut. and partially cut and punched wherever necessary, by means of dies,and which will be suiiiciently flexible at the corners or other bentportions thereof, to permit folding of the box to a collapsed conditionin a manner to be later described.

It will be observed that the box is divided into two compartments a andb by means of a transverse partition P.. Said partition is preferablyformed of two relatively spaced partition members I2, of materialsimilar to that employed for tons resting upon a door or other supports,and

also for ventilating the interior of the carton if necessary.

the body portion, each partition member having its vertical edgesprovided with integral right angular flanges I3, which are secured tothe op posite sides In and Ina in suitable manner as by stitching," i.e. the insertion of staples or other fastening means commonly employedin the art for this purpose. The corners c of the box and the comers 0produced by the flanges I3 are all sufiiciently flexible to permit thebox while in the open position illustrated in Figure l, to be collapsedby a relative longitudinal movement of the two sides I0 and Illa, untilthey are brought into close relation with the partition P lying parallelbetween them.

If desired, the upper and lower edges of the sides are provided withintegral flanges I4 which extend from each end to positions adjacent theartition P, and are adapted to be so folded as to overhang the openspace as clearly indicated in Figure 1. These flanges aid in sealing thebox while closed and in condition for shipment.

The open tap and bottom of the box body A are closed by suitable topflaps l5 and bottom flaps l6. These flaps are of the same or similarmaterials as the parts already described, andare secured to theends ofthe body A in any suitable manner. It is preferred to construct the topflap I5 and the bottom flap iliat each end asan,

integral part of a carrier member H, which latter is coextensive in areawith the adiacent'end' walls and secured to the exterior of the latterin suitable manner, as by means of stitching or t e l ke- If desired,said flaps may be provided with strengthening cleats 22. Each top flapis provided with an angularly disposed flange I 8 and each bottom flapis provided with a similar flange IS, the latter being provided withholes 20, which are arranged to register with similar holes-2| formed ineach of the partition members l2, to receive suitable fastening devices.The cleats 22 may be coextensive with the length of the flap, or anypart thereof." They are shown in Figure 1 as extended to the extremityof the movable flange or extension of each flap. Where the cleats extendto the extremity of the flange IS, the holes are made therein so as toprovide additional reenforcement. If desired, the cleats on the flaps atone end may extend longitudinally of the box. and the cleats on theflaps at the other end may extend transversely of the box,- (see Figure7). By this arrangement friction surfaces are provided which act toprevent longitudinal and lateral slippage of the carton. Any desiredfastening device may be employed, but for-purposes of illustration,extension bolts B are shown, each consisting of twciparts b, b havingtelescopic threaded engagement, and each part provided with a headadapted to abut against an adjacent partition member l2.

i In practice, the body A is first constructed by bending a strip of thematerial into rectangular form, and securing the two free ends togetherby means of an overlapping portion X, one end being attached-:to theadjacent extremity of a side wall. As stated above, the formation ofthecorners is such that the side walls may be moved longitudinally relativeto each other, thereby bringing the end walls in approximate parallelrelation thereto so as to collapse the box. After the formation of thebody portion A, the central partition P will be placed in position bysecuring the flanges thereof to the side walls in the manner alreadydescribed. Also, the carrier mem-.

bers I! are secured to the outer surfaces of the end walls II and Ho, insuch manner that the flaps l5 and 16 respectively, may be folded over tosuch'positions that the flanges I 8 and I9 may be extended into thespace between the partition members l2. For instance, the bottom flapsl6 will be folded inwardly to engage the flanges H at the bottom of thebox and the flanges IQ of the flaps are inserted into the space betweenthe members l2. Thereupon, the flaps are secured to the partition in themanner already described.

The box is now ready for packing by any desired system, dependingentirely upon the character of the product to be shipped. After thepacking has been completed, the flaps ii are folded downwardlyover thetop of the box so as to rest upon the adjacent flanges I4, and theflanges l8 are extended downwardly into the space between the partitionmembers l2. They are preferably retained in position by means of a strip'of ordinary gum paper extending transversely of the box and coveringthe 5 joint formed by the two flaps 15, along the line of the top edgeof the partition P. It is also obvious that the bottom flaps I 6 may besecured in place inv the same manner instead of employing removablefastenings.

10 Hand holes may also be cut through the end walls II and Ila and theoverlying members I}, and if additional internal ventilatlon is desiredpush out" sections 26 may be located wherever desirable.

15". If sealing of the packed carton should be necessary, the desiredresult may be obtained by" pasting gummed strips along the top andbottom side corners of the carton, and over the hand openings.

If it is desired, the structure illustrated in Figure 1 may be readilydivided into two separate units by cutting the sides of the box inalignment with the space between the partition members l2. This can bedone by means of a saw, knife, or other suitable cutting tool. In thisevent, the flaps will be sealed to the partition member l2 of thesection, or by covering the meeting edges of the flanges of each pair oftop and bottom flaps in suitable manner, as for 30 instance, by means ofgum tape.

After the box has been delivered to the consignee and emptied, it may bereadily collapsed for return shipment to the owner by disengagingthe'flanges IQ of the flaps Hi from the side members I 2, .This isaccomplished, of course, by

removing the bolts or other fastening means utilized to anchor theseparts together. By then folding the flaps l5 and I5 over the ends of thebody portion, as indicated in Figure 5, and then 40 imparting relativelongitudinal movement to the sides of the body members, so as to bringthem together, a very compact arrangement is provided whereby quantitiesof the boxes may be reshipped without requiring much space. The box maybe retained in collapsed position by passing I the bolts B throughsuitable flanges of the registering holes in the outermost foldedwflapand the adjacent member I! and end wall.

The advantages 'of the invention will be readily understood by thoseskilled in the art to which it belongs. For instance, the carton may bemanufactured of any desired proportions, which will be suitable for thepackaging and shipment of such articles as oranges, apples, potatoes,etc. arranged in layers or otherwise, or, which prior to packingtherein, have been packaged in separate unit containers, of whichmultiples thereof are packed in layers. Or, in the case of eggs, thearticles may be packed in cartons, each containing any desired number,such, for example, as one dozen, and these unit cartons may be readilypacked within the carton constructed in accordance with this invention.Or,'if desired, the individual units of the product may be packed inmulti-cellular packing materials, such as the usual form of standardhoney comb fillers; or flllerless flats with appropriate separators orflats between the layers and under the bottom layer and over the toplayer may be used, to provide suitable and. proper packing for thevarious units of the product.

A furtheradvantage is that a collapsible cartonof two compartments isprovided, which employs two hinged flaps for the closure of the top andtwo similar hinged flaps for the closure of the bottom of the carton.These flaps are so hinged to the ends of the carton that they arefoldable over the top and bottom respectively, and may also be securedto and folded back upon the ends of the case, thereby making themcontiguous and substantial parts of the said ends. Thus, when theflanges of the flaps are folded over and inserted between the twomembers of the transverse partition, those flaps which comprise thebottom of the case may be anchored in place in such manner as to preventtheir removal while the case is full. After the case has been emptied,it is obvious that the cover flaps may be folded back and nested overthe respective ends of the box and retained flatly against the latter bysecuring devices while the box is in collapsed position.

An additional advantage is that the cleats which are secured to the topand bottom flaps, not only strengthen the latter, but also provideventilating spaces beneath the bottom of the packed carton while restingupon a floor or other support, and between super-imposed cartonsarranged in a stack. Internal ventilation may be obtained through thehand holes, and additional holes may be provided by removing any desirednumber of the knock-out sections.

Another advantage of the construction shown and described is that ifoccasion should require,

a box of the character illustrated in Figure 1, for instance, may bedivided into two by separating the body along a line corresponding tothe space between the adjacent partition members l2.

Having thus explained the nature of the in vention and described anoperative manner of constructing and using the same, although withoutattempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or allofthe forms of its use, what is claimed is:

of said flaps to register with the spaces between 7 similar cleats of alike carton, the cleats of the bottom flaps having portions extending tothe extremity of said relatively movable portions, the last mentionedportions of the cleats having openings therein, said transversepartition also having openings positioned to register with the lastmentioned openings, and removable anchoring means extending through saidopenings to retain said bottom flaps in engagement with said partition.

2. A carton of the character described comprising a body portionconsisting of side and end walls, an internally located transversepartition, top flaps and bottom flaps for closing the top and bottomopenings respectively of the body portion, each flap being flexiblyconnected with an end wall in such manner as to be foldable over saidopenings, each flap having an integral relatively movable angularextension adapted to engage with the partition member, cleats on theoutside surface of top and bottom flaps at one end extendinglongitudinally of the box, cleats

